1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a two-pack hair treatment composition having conditioning effects, in particular, the effects of imparting softness, moistness and smoothness to the hair and the effect of dressing the hair which tends to scatter, the conditioning effects lasting semipermanently. The present invention is also directed to a process for treating the hair with the two-pack hair treatment composition.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The most popular method for imparting softness, moistness and smoothness to the hair is the application of a conditioner, such as a rinse or treatment after shampooing at home. Treating the hair with such a conditioner causes the deposition of conditioning ingredients such as a cationic polymer, cationic surfactant, lubricant, silicone derivative, humectant, protein and its hydrolyzate, and animal and vegetable extracts, on the surface of the hair or in the surface layer thereof. In beauty salons and the like, efforts are being made to obtain better feeling than that obtained by using a household conditioner, by depositing a larger amount of the ingredients on the hair by an improved technique such as the use of a heater, e.g. a steamer, even when a conditioner having an effect substantially equivalent to that of a household conditioner is used. However, the conditioning effect thus obtained is only temporary, and it is removed after shampooing only once or twice. However, in today's society the frequency of shampooing is increasing and it is now habitually conducted about once a day, although this depends to a large extent on the generation. The conditioning effect is almost completely removed by the first shampooing after the treatment, and the hair cannot be sufficiently protected from physical damages caused by the friction of the hair or its entanglement in daily shampooing. Thus the damage to hair caused by shampooing is now becoming a serious problem.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 75411/1989 discloses a hair treatment of the heating type, comprising the use of a composition containing a cationic polymer and a cysteine derivative, and heat treatment. With this treatment, the touch of the hair can be semipermanently improved in a relatively short time, the hair can be semipermanently waved, and the damage to the hair can be relieved. However, this treatment has an insufficient moistening effect under dry conditions and does not to impart sufficient softness and moistness to the hair.
Japanese Patent Laid-Open Nos. 100710/1981 and 150506/1983 discloses a permanent waving process wherein the first lotion comprising a reducing composition containing a cationic polymer was applied to the hair, and then the second lotion comprising an oxidizing composition containing an anionic surfactant was applied thereto. They also disclosed that the composition used in this process could impart a conditioning effect, such as a softening effect, to the hair. However, the process and composition disclosed therein were still insufficient in the persistence of the conditioning effect.